No one would accuse Carl Levin of looking like Hollywood's version
of a U.S. Senator. He's pudgy, balding and occasionally rumpled, and he
constantly wears his glasses at the very tip of his nose. Still, the
Michigan Democrat has gained respect from both parties for his attention
to detail and deep knowledge of policy, especially in his role as a
vigilant monitor of businesses and federal agencies. In 2002, a
subcommittee he led hauled in Enron's board of directors to question
them about the company's shady accounting practices; in hearings a year
later, he was one of the chief challengers of large accounting firms
that had created illegal tax shelters. Congress passed laws in the wake
of both scandals in an effort to prevent the abuses from happening
again.
Levin, 71 and first elected in 1978, says he considers congressional
hearings a critical part of his job, spending as much as 20 hours
prepping for each one so an evasive witness won't outwit him. The
former civil-rights lawyer is known for forcing embarrassing admissions
from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Bush
Administration officials through his precise questioning. "You've got
to be very blunt and truly listen so you know when the b.s. is flying,"
Levin says.
Although admired by many Republicans for his diligence, Levin rarely
sides with them. He opposed the Iraq war, and as the top Democrat on the
Senate Armed Services Committee, he has become one of his party's
leading voices in criticizing President Bush's conduct of the invasion,
arguing that the Administration didn't have enough troops in the early
stages and, more recently, hasn't focused enough on training Iraqi
troops. But his carefully researched, thoughtful remarks carry great
weight with his colleagues. "Nobody in the Democratic Caucus says
anything on national-security issues without talking to Carl Levin,"
says a top Democratic Senate staff member.